Reminiscent of Martha Hall Kelly’s Lilac Girls and Kristin Hannah’s The Nightingale, this entrancing story “is a poignant reminder that there is no limit to what women can do. A nostalgic, engrossing read” (Julia London, New York Times bestselling author). It’s easier for Cara Hargraves to bury herself in the past than to confront the present, which is why working for a gruff but brilliant … working for a gruff but brilliant antiques dealer is perfect. While clearing out an estate, she pries open an old tin that holds the relics of a lost relationship: an unfinished diary from World War II and a photo of a young woman in uniform. Captivated by the hauntingly beautiful diary, Cara begins her search for the author, never guessing that it might reveal her own family’s wartime secrets.
In 1941, nineteen-year-old Louise Keene feels trapped in her Cornish village, waiting for a wealthy suitor her mother has chosen for her to return from the war. But when Louise meets Flight Lieutenant Paul Bolton, a dashing RAF pilot stationed at a local base, everything changes. And changes again when Paul’s unit is deployed without warning.
Desperate for a larger life, Louise joins the women’s auxiliary branch of the British Army in the anti-aircraft gun unit as a gunner girl. As bombs fall on London, she and the other gunner girls show their bravery and resilience while performing their duties during deadly air raids. The only thing that gets Louise through those dark, bullet-filled nights is knowing that she and Paul will be together when the war is over. But when a bundle of her letters to him are returned unopened, she learns that wartime romance can have a much darker side.
“Sweeping, stirring, and heartrending in all the best ways, this tale of one of WWII’s courageous, colorful, and enigmatic Gunner Girls will take your breath away” (Kristin Harmel, bestselling author of The Room on Rue Amelie).
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I listened to the audiobook of Light Over London and the narrator, Lucy Brownhill, pulled me into the story instantly. The setting was strong and I was easily able to imagine myself watching from the sidelines as the story unfolded. I found Light Over London to be a less intense WWII read in terms of the actual war, with a bit of romance and betrayal woven in among the bravery of the Gunner Girls. Though the topic of WWII remains a heavy and often times devastating backdrop, the strength of the women, both the historic and present day characters, shone through and this, I believe, is the reason I enjoyed the story so thoroughly.
The older I get and the more I read, the more I appreciate strong female characters. While I think that was the desired effect of this book, that fell a little flat to me.
I was a little more invested in Cara’s story at first. Louise was a little boring, where Cara’s story had drama. But that changed as the book went on.
Louise’s story is quite well developed. Though I thought she was somewhat boring at first, that changed quickly. She becomes a very strong female character, who finally decides to make her life her own. She may experience some heartache and trying times, but she ultimately becomes her own. She finds her strength. She asserts herself. She holds her ground (most of the time). She makes things happen for herself. Her character develops well. (Though I’m a little sad about Cartruse, if I’m being honest.)
Contrasted with Louise’s story, we have Cara. Hers has the makings of a great story, but it’s so poorly developed. Every facet of her story is rushed and shallow. Her grief over her parents and her divorce feels contrived and the love story does not feel authentic or deep—as though the whole point was to get the two of them in bed together, but it’s totally true love. “Hurry up! Let’s make this thing happen! We barely know each other and have spoken only a handful of times and pretty much only ever about an 80 year old diary/mystery, but we are made for each other!” Even though she’s heartbroken and devastated over her recent divorce, she can still think, “oh he’s handsome and I wish we were more than just neighbors or friends…but I’m still grieving over my divorce, so that’s not possible.” I don’t know. That just felt so fake to me. If a woman gets divorced from a man because who he really is isn’t the person she thought, she’d be a lot more careful—and need a lot more time than a couple months—to learn to trust another man implicitly. (Also, Liam’s line at the hotel about how he’d never have taken Cara for granted, and her response to it, are both cliché and lame. The end.) Love stories can develop so much better! Cara’s whole story went from 0 to 60 in the blink of an eye and it made me irritated. There was some great potential, but no depth. And the way she always pushed her Gran into telling her story wasn’t handled very well. That’s another 0 to 60 irritant.
So, Cara’s story ended up not being great. Louise has a good one. Louise ends up being a pretty strong female protagonist, so she counterbalances Cara’s need for a man to feel better about life. So they essentially balance each other out to get a three-star rating from me.
Note: off-page sex, kissing, minor swearing.
I won this book through a giveaway sponsored by GoodReads.
Another story about WWII–but a different perspective.
The Light Over London is a look into history and the lives of Britains during the WWII years. I’ve read other novels that focus on the Akk-Akk girls, and while I wouldn’t insult any of them by comparing, I find myself tremendously awed by what these young women, taught from birth how to be a wife and a mother, took the current situations upon themselves, becoming vital to the war effort.
This book describes it beautifully, peopled with a cast of unforgettable characters and a personal dramatic thread that weaves in and out of the fabric perfectly.
A missing star, reluctantly taken, because of the story’s uneven start and a few patches of dull, unnecessary dawdling.
Otherwise, if you, like me, are regretting not asking your parents about this time in their young lives, do read The Lights Over London.
I really liked this story. Looking forward to learning more about these remarkable women.
I wasn’t sure I was going to like this as historical fiction isn’t one of my go-to genres. But I do enjoy dual timelines and Ms. Kelly does it nicely in this book, moving seamlessly from contemporary to WWII.
The plot was fairly predictable with one sucker-punch I didn’t see coming, but the storyline behind the Gunner Girls was especially intriguing. Ms. Kelly weaves the historical aspects into the fiction so beautifully, you’re unaware you’re reading information based on fact. I had no former knowledge of British military and who these women were, but I’m happy I got to know the story behind these incredible women.
I very much enjoyed the mystery, romance, and dual timelines of the story, and it kept me invested after the first couple of chapters.
Loved how the author wove a story from WWll and present day! She went flawlessly back and forth between both stories that were connected!
A great to read.
The Light Over London has parallel stories of love, betrayal and moving on told in dual time periods. In the present, Cara has divorced an overbearing, pretentious man who turned to gambling and drinking after (or perhaps before) losing his job. Her job working for an antiques dealer satisfies her love of history and her intense curiosity. In the WWII era, Louise Keene leaves the bucolic hamlet where she grew up to get out from under her protective, yet stifling, parents. She essentially runs away from her mother’s wish for her to be the local barrister’s wife.
A diary found in present day England takes Cara on a journey through time and renews her interest in her grandmother’s stint in the ATS during WWII and the possible reasons why she won’t discuss it.
“There’s a natural, human compulsion to want to know where you’re from. It gives us our ideas of ourselves.”
With assistance and encouragement from her new neighbor, Liam, Cara pieces together the mystery of Louise Keene as well as her grandmother’s.
I really enjoyed this historical fiction. I had not heard much about the ATS or “gunner girls”. I loved the camaraderie between Louise, her cousin Kate and the other women serving their country during WWII. Without giving up too much about Louise, I had wished for a different romantic interest and a different ending for her. During present day, Cara and Liam’s relationship blossoms organically. Both are “once bitten, twice shy” in terms of relationships, so their friends-to-lovers romance is realistically slow to develop. Cara learned an important lesson about men and love from studying Louise Keene, and subsequently, she is able to move forward and open herself up to the possibility of a relationship.
The Light Over London is a well-written historical romance that is easily devoured. I love a book that presents interesting references that inspire me to comb through nonfiction sources for more information. Julia Kelly’s The Light Over London should have readers researching victory gardens, rationing, women’s roll in the war efforts, as well as roguish behavior of soldiers far from home. Author Julia Kelly has given her readers characters to care about and an emotional story to get lost in.
You deserve to never be disappointed, and you deserve to be with someone who doesn’t make you feel like your choices aren’t the right ones.
The Light Over London was a superbly written, emotional, and deeply passionate dual narrative, filled with dazzling, unforgettable characters, intrigue, and a gripping love story.
Cara was fascinated by a diary she found at one of the estates where she was working. As soon as she started reading it, she felt compelled to find the owner or at the very least, the family of the woman who wrote the diary. The diary held both a passionate love story and a brilliant story of a fierce young woman who is working as a Gunner Girl during WWII. Not only do we learn about Louise’s story through her diary, but we flashback to her younger days when she meets the love of her life. We watch as she leaves her overbearing mother to become a vital part of the war effort. She beautifully transforms from a shy, reserved young woman, to being a leader and force to be reckoned with. Interspersed with Louise’s story, we return to the present and read how Cara adjusts to being a divorcee while dealing with the death of her parents, all while she searches to find out what her mother and grandmother were arguing about the day her parents died.
With all of that going on, one would suspect it would be easy for the reader to get lost, and for the plot to become muddled. But the contrary occurred. I was completely captivated. The story was evocative, nostalgic, stunning, and devastating. The Light Over London is a must-read for lovers of stories with strong female characters, passion, and intrigue.
Antiques, a tin box with a diary, a mystery about who wrote the diary, WWII, and a secret kept by Cara’s grandmother, is how we begin THE LIGHT OVER LONDON.
We meet Louise who lives with her parents during the war and is kept under close watch because her mother thinks a local boy who is fighting will come back and marry her daughter.
Louise feels suffocated. Her cousin Kate is totally opposite…always out and doing what she wants.
Present day has us meeting Cara who has just ended her marriage and works for Jock who is an antique dealer. When Cara finds a diary as she is cleaning out an estate, her quest is to find out who the box that contains the diary, other memorabilia, and photos belongs to.
I always enjoy a book that goes back and forth in time and learning about life in previous eras and especially when there is a secret or some object is found that has a story of its own.
Learning about the Gunner Girls and the dangerous work they did during World War II was very interesting, but my favorite part of the book was unraveling the mystery of which Gunner Girl’s diary Cara found and what the secret was that her grandmother was keeping from her.
Historical fiction fans and women’s fiction fans will enjoy THE LIGHT OVER LONDON.
This book was given to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. 4/5
The Light Over London is a beautifully written book that tells the story of Cara and Louise, two women, living in different time periods, who find strength and bravery in the face of adversity. Cara, in the present day, is trying to recover from a dismally failed marriage and has thrown herself into her work for an antique dealer. Louise, in World War II England, escapes a dull life in Cornwall by volunteering for the war effort and becoming an “Ack Ack” girl during the London air raids. Cara comes across a diary during an antique appraisal and becomes fascinated by Louise’s story.
Julia Kelly does a wonderful job of telling each young woman’s story in alternating narratives, and I found myself, like Cara, fascinated with Louise’s story, as well as rooting for Cara as she starts her new life. I was especially intrigued with the “Ack Ack” girls story, and the danger they faced while carrying out their duties during the London air raids. I highly recommend this book.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are solely my own.
Light Over London is beautifully written story that traverses through time from WWII to the present. It all starts with a diary found from an estate that’s being liquidated. From then on the parallel between the past and present continually collide and makes for a wonderful story!
This is the first time I have read a Julia Kelly book and now I know I’m going to have to go back and read her other books. The writer captivates you with her words and has the reader completely enthralled and invested in the characters.
I highly recommend this book it’s absolutely amazing!
My wife said it was “Chick Lit” but she thought I might enjoy it so I read it.. I very much enjoyed the story and learning about London’s war women who maned the guidance systems of the AntiAircraft Guns that protected the city from the German air raids. Good read and kept my attention throughout.
Set during world war 2, this story about the gunner girls who worked with teams to shoot down enemy planes over London was very interesting. Highly recommended if you like historical fiction.
I have the feeling that I have already read this book in several other versions. The plot is familiar and predictable, and although the writing is flowing, the book couldn’t get me attached. I don’t think it’s the book’s fault, but my reading order.
Had never heard of the Ack Ack girls and what they did before reading this book.
I love dual timelines, and this one is present day and WW2. The book was all I hoped for, and more. Well researched and brilliantly written. For me, it had the WOW factor.
I’d never heard of the “gunner girls” before. This is a lovely story that moves between WWII London and the present time. Makes you proud to be a woman.
If fabulous, romantic, inspiring and can’t-put-it-down is your favorite type of book, then this is for you.